“Rob,” she said, having forgotten about her commitment to the guys. “You needed me at the shop today. I’m sorry, I forgot. I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
“No, that’s cool,” he said with an edge of worry in his voice. “It’s actually… uh…”
Leaving the elevator, Tally crossed the SC lobby to head through the glass doors and out to the street. “What’s wrong?”
“Max is at Fitzpatrick’s,” Robbie said. “He’s drinking… a lot… and he seems really pissed. Did something happen?”
Something was an understatement. “I’ll be there,” she said, hailing a cab and jumping in to give the address. “Just try to distract him, keep him as sober as you can.”
“Oh, kay, that won’t be easy, man’s on a mission.”
Sighing, she was too tired to deal with this. “I know,” she said. “I know, just… do your best.”
She hung up and moved forward to ask the driver to speed up, but it still seemed to take forever for her to get there. She had the money ready to give the driver before they even stopped. Tossing it at him, she leaped out, and dashed into Fitzpatrick’s.
It was only early evening, but there were a dozen or so folks dotted around. Trey was at the bar opposite a hunched Max who was flanked by Robbie and Ryan.
Tally went straight over to them. “Thanks, guys,” she said. “Can you give us a minute?”
The friends backed off; their concern prevented them from spending any time greeting her. She picked up the lid of the tequila bottle and began to screw it on, but Max snatched it away before she secured it. His head was bowed, but he turned it slowly to glare up at her with cold, sinister eyes that verged on disgust.
“I fucking love you,” he spat the words like they were foul.
“I know,” she said and tried to reach for his hair, but he stood and swatted her arm away.
Lunging forward, he pinned her against the bar, his arms wide and straight on either side of her. “I still fucking love you. You treat me like a fucking asshole and I still fucking love you. What the fuck does that say about me?”
Lifting her cupped hands, she wanted to touch him, but didn’t want to upset him, so she let them just hover. “Baby, I—”
“Don’t fucking touch me,” he snarled and pushed away from the bar to side-step and snatch up the tequila bottle again.
He pulled off the cap, swearing at it in the process as he tossed it away behind the bar. Tally had seen Max drink a lot, like a lot, a lot, and she had never once seen him drunk. He’d been wild, sure, happy, maybe even tipsy, but blind drunk? Never. She’d wondered once if he was immune to the effects of alcohol because it seemed like he could drink as much as he wanted and never lose control.
This moment was disproving that theory
Throwing the bottle back, he began to gulp from it. “Max,” she said, touching his back.
Yanking the bottle from his mouth, he thrust it at her. “Drink.”
“I don’t want to drink,” she said, hating herself for putting him through this pain.
He was so angry and so hurt. All he wanted to do was take the pain away, which was why he was drinking.
He pushed the bottle against her body. “Drink,” he demanded, shoving it against her breast. When she didn’t take it, he leaned down to growl in her ear. “I’m gonna get you good and wasted so I can take you out back and fuck you dirty, that’s what you fucking want, isn’t it? You want cock, all the fucking time.”
Leaning back, tears streaked her face as she laid her hand on his. “Baby—”
“Stop it!” he shouted, shoving her hand away again. “I don’t want your fucking sympathy; I want you fucking drunk.”
She took the bottle, but put it on the bar without drinking. “No.”
He grabbed her chin. “Two cocks in one night,” he said, bowing down to get in her face. “That what you want, baby? How about two at the same time? That’s even better, right?” He stepped back and opened his arms, raising his voice to the room. “Bet we’ll get some takers in here. Any cocks around here for my girl to ride?”
Robbie and Ryan came back, worried about their friend. When they tried to push his arms down to calm him, he shrugged them off.
Max intensified his focus on her. “Why the fuck did you come to my room, huh? If you had one on the hook? Why the fuck did you sneak into my room to wait for me?”
“I told you I didn’t come to your room for sex,” she said, so full of her own sorrow that she couldn’t stop her tears. “That just… it just happened.”
“Yeah,” he spat. “Always does with you. You play the fucking good girl so fucking well. You’re a perfect little angel with a pussy so tight a guy would think you’re untouched. You train that bitch to do that? Huh? Just to screw with us?”
“Max,” she whispered her despair, now she was hurt, sorry, and embarrassed. “Please.”
“Fuck you,” he said and lunged past her to grab the bottle back.
As Max gulped down the liquor, Robbie and Ryan came closer to her. “You fucked around on him?” Ryan asked, wearing an expression like she’d cheated on him too.
“What happened?” Robbie asked.
Max dragged the bottle from his mouth. “I’ll tell you what the fuck happened,” Max said. “Bitch came to my room and got fucked good, right there against the goddamn wall. Then she snuck off to the cock she had locked in her room. Yeah, she had a fucking dude right there in her fucking room, in the fucking house I’ll inherit.”
“You had a guy in your room?” Ryan asked her; Tally didn’t like his judgement. “But you had sex with Max?”
Opening her mouth, she inhaled and tried to think of how she could explain herself. “When was this?” Robbie asked.
“Last fucking night,” Max said, slugging more liquor. “I was fucking her in the pool this morning when Stretton walks in and tells me she’s been up all night at it with some bastard… Sean, right? It was fucking Sean, wasn’t it?”
“What? No! No, I told you, Sean’s my friend.”
“Someone in your room?” Robbie asked, his eyes narrowing. “Wait a fucking minute! This is about last night? Are you shitting me?”
Leaping forward, Tally pressed her fingers to Robbie’s lips. “Don’t,” she whispered. “Not while he’s like this.”
She almost didn’t want to look at Max. Tally hoped he was too liquored up to be listening. But she wasn’t that lucky. Turning her head to him, she saw only confusion on his face.
Robbie pulled her hand down. “Why didn’t you tell us you had sex with him last night? You didn’t even tell us you saw him.”
“It wasn’t important. I did what you needed to be done. The sex was… for me,” Tally said, rubbing her shoulder. It had been a helluva long day. “I told you Max and I were through and we were, but… seeing him, it screwed with my head. I couldn’t announce to the three of you that I slipped and fell onto Max’s cock again, could I? Besides, you guys were all freaked enough about your mess, I couldn’t tell you that Max had seen me. I promised I wouldn’t tell him… and I didn’t.” A surge of her own anger made her sink back onto her heels. “It’s Mandy, the new assistant, Teddy and Blair give her brownie points when she brings them secrets.”
Max grabbed her arm and pulled her around to examine her face. For the longest time, he just inspected her then he shoved the liquor bottle onto the bar. “What are you talking about?” he asked and began to scrutinize his friends.
“It was us,” Robbie confessed. “Me, Ryan, and Bobby, we were in her room last night.”
“Robbie,” she said and tried to reach for him, but he marched to Max.
“We needed the lock-up key to raid the back-up fund because Lucas heard you were in the money and he called in his chit. That’s it. That’s all that happened. She didn’t cheat on you,” Robbie sneered.
“I don’t want any of you fighting,” she said. “Please don’t look at Max that way. He had no way to know.”
Bobby came closer
and she saw the moment Max noticed his bruises. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “That was five years ago he gave us that money for the garage,” he murmured. “We’ve fixed up every one of his crew’s cars since and he’s calling in the chit? That chit’s long fucking paid.”
“Doesn’t fucking matter,” Robbie said. “It’s done. He’s been paid and we’re all square again. We told Tally not to tell you because we didn’t want to fuck up your cushy new life and because we promised your mom we wouldn’t take anything from Stretton when we went to her looking for the key.”
Max was still absorbing this, and she didn’t know all the details, but was glad to see Robbie breathe out some of his annoyance. “Now my work is done, I’m going to go,” Tally said.
Ryan gave her a hug. “Stay and have a drink,” Robbie said. “We owe you one… we probably owe you a million.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, guys. I’ll come to the garage tomorrow for the books and I’ll be back on Saturday for the poker. But today, I’m beat.”
Robbie kissed her cheek and she reached over the bar to Trey who took her hand to give her a squeeze as they went in opposite directions. “Don’t let Max drink any more,” she said.
Without missing a step, Trey let her go and swiped the tequila bottle off the bar to stow it beneath.
Heading to the street, she glanced at the conspicuous limo parked outside. There was no way she was getting in that, so she started looking for a cab.
The limo door opened, and the new driver hired for Max stepped out. “Miss Taylor?”
“Yes,” she said, watching him button his jacket.
“I want to assure you that I am discreet.”
“I know,” she said, though she didn’t really know; Mandy had put her off the new people. “Mr. Flynn is still inside.”
He took a hesitant step toward her. “But I understand…”
The tone he used made her curious, and she was riled enough to reach the verge of offense. “You understand what?”
“You’ll be taking up position as Mr. Flynn’s mistress.”
Rolling her lips into her mouth, Tally figured it didn’t take long for news to travel. “Could be,” she said. The paperwork was signed, but God only knew what was left of their relationship after today. “But you know what that means, don’t you? I’m not his wife.”
“I understand,” he said. “But I assume there will be times when you are riding with him.”
“Times,” she said. “And this is not one of them… what’s your name?”
“George.”
“I’m tired, George. I’m not in the mood to read between any lines,” she said. “If you’re telling me you won’t listen when we’re having sex in the back of the car, I appreciate that, but it’s really not something that worries me.” A cab approached. She stepped farther into the street and held up her hand to stop it. Opening her arms, she smiled and shrugged. “I’m officially a whore now, I signed the paperwork this afternoon that proves it.” Tally opened the back door of the cab. “We whores don’t worry about things like dignity.”
Sliding into the back of the cab before he could say anything else, she exhaled. This had been a fraught day and now she had to go back to the Stretton Estate and make herself irresistible to Max. Except there was no way she was going to get gussied up. Before there was more sex, there had to be some talking. They had to get a few things straightened out, number one being how he could dragoon her into this role without even understanding what he’d done.
When the suite door opened later, Tally stopped writing and looked up. Max came in and stopped inside the door, tossing it into the frame behind him. “I went looking for you in your room,” he said, “they said you lived with me now.”
“Yep,” she said, feeling no sympathy for how disheveled he looked.
Yes, she could cut him some slack for thinking the worst of her when she didn’t give him any denial or story to the contrary. But she didn’t give him any leeway for going out to get blind drunk; that was all him.
“I spoke to the guys,” he said. “Got the full story.”
“Yep.”
Although he was unsteady on his feet, he came over, and dropped onto the couch. Taking a breath, he flopped back, opening his arms wide. “This has been a crazy day.”
“Yep,” she said and lifted her eyes to his.
Max let his head fall to the side and his eyes open just enough to meet hers. “You hate me?”
“Little bit,” she said and returned to her list.
He grumbled. “You should, I’m a prick.”
His breathing was shallow, and he looked exhausted. Cutting him some slack, Tally thought about how she’d feel if she’d believed that Max had slept with Anika between bouts of having sex with her.
Sighing, Tally folded her arms on the table. “We have a lot to talk about,” she said. “Everything’s happened quickly and I’m not sure you understand what’s going on.”
His smile was pained and flashed for only a second, while his eyes remained closed. “Baby, you’re in my fucking room, and you’re not running away from me. You’re official.” His smile was more genuine and wider. “I don’t know what the fuck happened. But I like it.”
“You swore at me,” she said. “You called me a bitch.”
His smile fell, and he cracked open an eye. Considering her for a second, he slid off the couch to sit at the coffee table with her.
Gathering up her hand in both of his, he pressed his lips to the back of her fingers. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry… I thought I lost you. I was crazy. I need you, you know I do. Without you, I… didn’t know who I was.” Ok, so the liquor was loosening his tongue too. “I wanted to kill the bastard, that’s why I couldn’t ask who it was. If I’d had a name, I would’ve killed him with my bare hands. I love you.”
“Don’t,” she said, pulling her hand away. “Don’t say that to me when you’re apologizing. Only say that when you mean it, not when you have to.”
“I mean it, baby,” he said and leaned in to kiss her, but all Tally tasted was liquor.
Pushing up from the table, she pulled him to his feet. “You’re getting in the shower and then you’re getting some sleep,” she said, helping him toward the bedroom. “I need you to sober up.”
“So we can talk?” he asked, shoving the bedroom door harder than he needed to.
“Yes,” she said, struggling under the weight of his arm. “Will you be ok in the shower?”
He rubbed his face in her hair. “You gonna join me if I say no?”
“I’ll help you if you need help,” she said and pushed him to the wall of the shower room when they got there so she could turn on the water. “But don’t ask me for sex, of any variety.”
“Why not?” he mumbled as he struggled out of his clothes.
She watched him stumble into the stall and be startled by the pressure of the water. “Because I’m no longer allowed to say no,” she whispered to herself.
NINETEEN
Sleeping in this huge bed with Max was odd. Not because it wasn’t comfortable, it was, but it just didn’t feel quite right to be in such contrived surroundings with a man she knew as anything but contrived.
It was dark out, and close to three AM, but she wasn’t sleeping. She’d been too worried about Max and his drunkenness. She could tell he was far gone because he started to snore, and every time she tried to put him on his side, he returned to his back. Tally wasn’t strong enough to force him anywhere, so she stayed up to make sure he didn’t aspirate.
Thinking about her life, she tried to trace it back to a point before all this started, before Max, before the accident that killed Laura, when she was going through the motions of each day, following the rules and… Tally was fixated on the idea of happiness. Was she happy back then when she was oblivious to Max’s existence? Oblivious to what love was? What incredible, dynamite sex was? She smiled; if nothing else, he’d opened her eyes to that.
“That’s a sexy smile
.”
The sound of his voice made her roll to her side to see that he was facing her, his eyes drowsy, but definitely open. “How do you feel?” she asked, pressing her hand to his shoulder to support him, though he didn’t seem to need it. “How’s your head?”
Brushing her palm upward over his forehead, she pushed his head back, worrying that he’d have a killer headache.
“I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was you,” he said, pulling her over the bed into his arms. “I found my happiness again.” Kissing her shoulder, he moved to her neck and his hands moved over her breasts. “Why didn’t we do this sooner? Why didn’t we just do it from the start?”
Because she’d made it clear to him that this life would make her unhappy; that was why she couldn’t stop thinking about happiness. Maybe she could make herself happy here, constrained by contracts and rules instead of just being a woman in love… but she doubted it given the rules she’d had to agree to.
“Max, how do you feel about abortion?”
He stopped kissing. A minute passed before he rose to settle his serious gaze on her. “Why are you asking about that?” His hand opened on her belly. “Are you…? Are you pregnant? Did you have an abortion?”
She pushed his hand away from her stomach. “I had to sign a piece of paper today that said if I got pregnant I’d have an abortion or sign all my parental rights over to the Strettons… I don’t know why but, I keep thinking about that. I’m not pregnant, I have no intentions of being pregnant. But I had to sign a piece of paper saying that if I ever did get pregnant with your child, I should deny his parentage… It pisses me off.”
“It pisses me off,” he said and sat up to glare. “Who the fuck made you sign that? Why the fuck did you sign it? Our kid is our kid, I’d never fucking deny him or want you to either.”
“You told Teddy to make me your mistress.” Tally wasn’t ready to tell Max that the strict rules attached to the mistress role had been put into place after Teddy’s affair with Cindy. The pregnancy that had arisen from that affair, and produced Max, had made Teddy vigilant. “That’s what I meant earlier when I said I don’t think you understand what’s going on. The Strettons are strict about this. I’m not your girlfriend. They make mistresses sign non-disclosure agreements, airtight confidentiality agreements. I have to submit to all Stretton rules. We have to sign to say that we will submit any time we’re paged. We are subject not only to the man in our lives but to their wives as well. If you get married, I have to do anything and everything your wife tells me to. You can have me fired for refusing a sex act. Mistresses don’t eat dinner at the family table. We can go on trips with you; but are not to go to social events unless specifically invited.”
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